Cardinals Sign Five, Begin Venezuelan Play

Brian Walton

05/19/2009

The St. Louis Cardinals signed five pitchers for their Venezuelan Summer League roster as 2009 league play began this week.

On Monday, the St. Louis Cardinals
began play in the 2009 Venezuelan Summer League (VSL). The initial 34-man roster
includes players that range in age from 17 to 21 with the vast majority still
teenagers. Five countries are represented, with Curacao, Nicaragua and Colombia (two each) plus
Panama (one) along with 27
native Venezuelans.

Five members of the 18-man
pitching staff are new to the organization. At least initially, all are being
listed as relievers.

Cardinals
Director of International Operations Moises Rodriguez commented on several
of the new signees, including Villanueva.

"Villanueva
is the most polished. He is a 19-year-old who touches 90 mph and pitches low in
the zone. He's impressed so far in camp but has little experience in organized
ball, similar to many in Latin America,"
Rodriguez said.

The
other two new hurlers, John De Aguas
and Johnny Polanco, hail from
Colombia and Nicaragua, respectively.

"De
Aguas, a left-hander pitcher from Cartagena, Colombia, is a small frame pitcher
with a quick arm and good control. He tops out at 88.

"Johnny
Polanco is a right-handed pitcher from Nicaragua that we signed over the
weekend.He's 6-foot-3, 192 and
throws a low 3/4.We beat out the
New York Yankees and Mets for his services.

"He
was represented by former San Francisco Giants Nicaraguan scout Alex Torres who has a baseball academy
in Sebaco,
Nicaragua. The
same program that last year produced July 2 right-handed pitcher Jose Valdivia
who Seattle
signed for more than $700,000," explained Rodriguez.

Two
others invited to EST, catcher Juan Castillo and right-handed pitcher Edouard Estalis, are hung up in the
Dominican
Republic with visa issues. Castillo is coming
off a 50-game suspension after testing positive for
Stanozolol, a banned substance, last August.

Rodriguez
commented on several other former academy players currently standing out in
EST.

"Angel De Jesus, right-handed pitcher
from the Dominican
Republic, has pitched well and continues to
improve. He is vying for a spot in Johnson City.

"Venezuelan
shortstop Cesar Valera has opened
everyone's eyes in camp and shows flashes of how great a player he could become.
He just turned 17.

"Catcher
Audry Perez from the Dominican is
hitting and looks like a likely choice for Johnson City. He was a DSL ALL-Star last year
who we brought to the GCL toward the end of the 2008 season," Rodriguez
noted.

2009
VSL Cardinals opening roster

PITCHERS
(18)

Pos.

B/T

HT

WT

Age

Alvarado,
Ruben

LHR

L/L

6-1

170

18

Avendaño, Javier

RHS

R/R

6-3

180

18

Bier, Deimer

RHS

R/R

6-2

174

18

Cedeño,
Fernando

RHR

R/R

6-2

189

19

Colorado, Moises

LHS

L/L

6-3

190

19

Corpas, Hector (PAN)

RHS

R/R

6-3

180

19

De Aguas, John (COL)

LHR

L/L

5-10

160

17

Echeverria, Angelo

LHR

L/L

6-2

170

17

Guzmán, Francisco

RHR

R/R

5-11

190

21

Marquez, Fabian E.

RHR

R/R

6-1

178

18

Nieves,
Sergio

RHS

R/R

6-0

180

17

Oraá, Carlos

RHS

R/R

6-3

176

19

Polanco, Johnny

RHR

R/R

6-3

192

17

Ramos,
Gregorio

RHR

R/R

5-11

170

19

Solarte,
Jackson

RHR

R/R

6-0

180

18

Ulacio,
Ramon

RHR

R/R

6-1

190

18

Villanueva, Dail

LHR

L/L

6-3

180

19

Weffer,
Jose

LHR

L/L

6-1

180

17

CATCHERS
(3)

Rivas,
Limbert

C

R/R

6-0

185

19

Vilória,
Omar

C

R/R

6-1

180

18

Velazco, Gerwuins

C

R/R

6-1

190

17

INFIELDERS
(7)

García, Hector

3B

R/R

6-2

180

19

Perez,
Roberto

1B

R/R

6-1

190

20

Marquez,
Moises

IF

R/R

5-9

175

18

Martina, Hayrich (CUR)

IF

R/R

6-1

180

18

Yeguez, Carlos

IF

R/R

5-11

180

18

Medina,
Osmir

SS

R/R

6-2

175

18

Vargas, Ildemaro

2B/SS

S/R

6-0

170

17

OUTFIELDERS
(6)

Inojosa, Kaizay

OF

R/R

6-0

180

18

Martines, Tharick (CUR)

OF

R/R

6-3

185

18

Argeñal, Jem (NIC)

LF

L/L

5-11

180

17

Castellano, Alexander (COL)

CF/LF

S/R

6-0

180

20

Fonseca, Anthony J

RF

R/R

6-1

178

20

Cortez, Jose A

LF/CF

R/R

6-0

178

20

Note:
The 2009 Venezuelan Summer League Cardinals roster will be updated soon here at
stlcardinals.scout.com. Refer to the "Minor League Rosters" dropdown below and
to the right of The Birdhouse logo on this and every page.

In
addition, I am continuing to maintain a "Cardinals Roster
Matrix" on my blog, The Cardinal Nation. It includes all rosters from the
Cardinals system plus the players currently at Extended Spring
Training.